Up early and after breakfast we were collected for the light aircraft flight to Linkwasha concession. Our bags were slightly too big due to the wheels but thanks to our fellow travellers, a mum and her daughter from California (Joanna and Gianna) travelling very light we were saved having to ditch anything - phew! The flight took about an hour - it was smooth and clear....great views. We were collected from the airstrip by Robert,our guide, and set off to camp having a game drive enroute. We searched for the elusive cheetah,which had been spotted earlier, but it remained elusive - I did however get to see my first sighting of a beautiful male sable - as the area dries out they are coming to the waterholes.
We arrived in camp to be met by a very enthusiastic staff - Bethle the manageress, whose partner Tembe was also manger and guide and who we had met enroute to fetch 7 fellow guests, Roxane the assistant manageress, who had only been there a few days, and the intern who had been there 2 weeks! We then had lunch before going off to our room before returning at 3pm for tea and leaving at 3.30 for a game drive and sight of one of the 3 spectacular sunsets we saw at Hwange. All the tents were in a semi circle looking out over a large water hole - all the waterholes in the concession are keep flowing year round by pumping water up from the bore holes.
The water was pure and very good to drink-probably some of the best we have tasted.
We then watched a steady stream of animals make their way to the waterhole - plenty of elephant and a herd of sable, along with zebra, a lone giraffe and the resident baboons.
Every day followed the same pattern; woken at 6, continental breakfast at 6.30, game drive at 7 back at 11 for brunch, siesta until 3, 3.30 game drive, sundowners at 6 and return doing a night drive arriving at 7ish in time for a sherry or hot drink and dinner. We would then be escorted back to our rooms around 8.30 ish - sometimes we stayed up talking until the late hour of 9.40! We were joined on the first day by a group of 6 Americans and their South African/ American tour leader Nadia, who ran her own company - Africa Easy- they made for very enjoyable and stimulating company during our 3 day stay. Thanks to Nadia Tembo gave us talks at afternoon tea (on days 2 and 3) on Zimbabwe and Hwange national park - both very illuminating and interesting. On the last night the staff put on a show- singing and dancing from different areas -it included one member from the tonga tribe who ate fire - apparently a well known ability of this tribe along with picking up railway sleepers in their teeth (something we saw in the show at Victoria Falls!)
The wildlife was extensive and besides watching the waterhole - as no minute was the same - we watched the bradfields and yellow billed hornbills from the 'loo with a view' near the mess tent or from the camp fire area. Game drives, over the 3 days, allowed us to see the life of the fifteen strong lion pride unfurl - day one they were lounging, looking lean and sleeping under bushes, day two over night they had killed a buffalo behind a nearby camp so we watched them feasting and day three we returned to see very little left - the rib cage, horns and some skin - nearby were the self same now very fat lions lounging and sleeping under bushes - amusingly they were approached by guinea fowl who on seeing them gave the alarm call and then ran straight towards them only changing direction when the very tired and full lions raised their heads!
Other animals we saw included zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, strangely there were very few impala, buffalo, ostriches, warthogs, common duiker and steinbok which replaced the dik dik of East Africa.....and a half eaten puff adder.
The night drives were noticeable by the temperature change as soon as the sun went down - the Kalahari sands don't hold the heat and much of the soil blew in from there many years ago - the only warm spots were by the ebony trees who hold their heat. So it was on with the gloves, beanie hats and blankets!
When we returned at night we saw the eagle owl near the waterhole and over night heard the side striped jackal who apparently warns of the leopard. Low and behold next morning we found the leopard tracks - lots near rooms 2-4 sadly we were room 8!
Other birds we saw included the Steppe eagle - a long line under the eye told it apart form a tawny eagle, a lizard buzzard or was it a gabbar goshawk both the same albeit the former has a black tie which we couldn't see - I think it was a lizard buzzard and then we did see a gabbar goshawk fly over camp - the latter is smaller.
Black throated canaries, lilac breasted rollers, fork tailed drongo, red billed buffalo weaver, pied crow, red crested korhaan, blacksmith plover, white crowned lapwing,white backed vultures, open billed storks and a secretary bird.
Before saying our goodbyes we bought 5 guinea fowl from the curio shop- all goods were made by the staff with the money going to them - great idea and they sold some lovely momentos.
We were in the jeep by 7am and headed to the airstrip for at 8am departure, the pilot stayed the night at another camp so an early start was easy; the trip was freezing cold and we were moving quite fast so it felt even colder.We thankfully arrived at the plane 45 mins later- all our lips were quite numb including the drivers! We were joined on the flight by one of the directors who was also going to Ruckomechi - for a field visit- the flight took about 2 hours with a stop at Kariba to refuel- again another lovely flight.